Well, several Christians are divided on the issues. In my contact with Christians, most of them have no religious opinion on the novels. Some of them have read the books, and some of them haven't, but if they chose not to read the books, it was due to their own preferences and no strong antagonism towards the series from a Christian perspective.
However, I have encountered Christians online (most of whom have not read the series, although that's not to say it's not a valid opinion) who believe that it's evil because it condones magic and witchcraft and portrays it as "good." I have heard arguments that this is wrong, because there is no such thing as "good" magic and "evil" magic, because it's
all from Satan, and therefore, all evil.
Those are, as I understand, the prevailing opinions on the topic in the Christian community in the United States. However, as one who
has read the books, and who understands the Christian perspective (I'm not trying to disrespect it), I must put in my two cents.
I have sinabi on this site that "The notion that stories of witches and magic promotes demonic activity is about archaic as Leviticus's support of slavery. If Harry Potter is evil, then so is Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, The Legend of King Arthur, and any other story that references good witches/wizards is evil. And I haven't read anyone complain about them." I later apologized for the rude way in which this was said, but at the time, I was aggravated. However, my opinion stands-- it's an archaic interpretation. And while there are many wise and timeless things in Christianity, but there are some that, I'm sorry to say, are not.
The real messages in the Harry Potter books, and ones that children pick up madami than the whole "witchcraft" angle is the power of love, friendship, courage and loyalty. It's a series that tells girls it's OK to be the smartest in the class. It's a series that warns boys against pagganap impetuously. It's a series that tells everyone not to judge a single person based on the acts of their parents. It describes the age-old battle of darkness and light, good versus evil, and good prevails.
It is also a series that, in the end, alludes to the idea of something greater than man, verging on spiritual.
The magic isn't about worshiping the devil, and JK Rowling didn't describe any real arcane rituals, spells or potions. In addition to that, it doesn't encourage children to turn against whatever church they and their family ascribe to. Also, it teaches sound and classic values that are found in several cultures and religions. So, in that sense, I think Harry Potter is the perfect series for Christians.
If the word of an Agnostic isn't exactly the "expert" you were looking for to answer your question, see what
link has to say on the subject.
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